So my previous review was false, it was indeed my issue and discovered what was causing it. So when you update ark, it makes a copy of it, which is...atrocious to say the least. The game is huge. So what'll happen is, if you don't have enough space on your SSD but have enough on an HDD it'll copy it over there. This creates a problem where it's constantly download to the HDD and then copying back over to the SSD. Even just having it downloaded on an HDD and staying there is faster.

So, with that out of the way lets review the actual game. I will be 100% honest, I'm a PvE carebear, and mostly unofficial. That said I've played with a variety mods, no mods, rates etc. About 1500 hours is with no mods low rates (2x gathering, 5x breeding/incubation, 0.25 mating interval and 1x exp). It was a phenomenal community that is no longer existent. I've met a great friend there though, and that was almost 4 years ago and we're still friends and talk near daily to this day. We still go back to Ark and I won't tribe up with anyone else. I'd rather be solo than with anyone.

The actual game play is great. It's not perfect, it has bugs, but they aren't game breaking. The game is intensive on your system, and the story is interesting. You can make the game as fast as you want or slow, you can play PvP or PvE, total conversion mods or no mods. You make the game how you want. The maps are huge and anyone who says otherwise is playing on a flyer, and possibly with higher speed (mods). Ragnarok, Crystal Isles and Valguero especially are huge. They're all free maps too. I prefer the Island, it's very full, and every environment feels unique. While not the biggest, it doesn't feel as empty as Ragnarok or Crystal Isles does.

I would go into this game with a mindset that it's not going to be flawless, but you can lose hours and days here. Maybe even weeks. If you're looking for something to do for days on end, this game is a great way to spend it. It's hard for me to get back into it, but I do play it every now and then and love it all the same. I know so much that I can accelerate my play speed ten fold than what I did when I was new. The learning curve is large, but I always followed a philosophy. Don't take what you can't afford to lose out of your base. Items, Dinos, etc.

Enjoy, this game is a great one. Not a master piece, but there are far worse survival games.

So my previous review was false, it was indeed my issue and discovered what was causing it. So when you update ark, it makes a copy of it, which is...atrocious to say the least. The game is huge. So what'll happen is, if you don't have enough space on your SSD but have enough on an HDD it'll copy it over there. This creates a problem where it's constantly download to the HDD and then copying back over to the SSD. Even just having it downloaded on an HDD and staying there is faster. So, with that out of the way lets review the actual game. I will be 100% honest, I'm a PvE carebear, and mostly unofficial. That said I've played with a variety mods, no mods, rates etc. About 1500 hours is with no mods low rates (2x gathering, 5x breeding/incubation, 0.25 mating interval and 1x exp). It was a phenomenal community that is no longer existent. I've met a great friend there though, and that was almost 4 years ago and we're still friends and talk near daily to this day. We still go back to Ark and I won't tribe up with anyone else. I'd rather be solo than with anyone. The actual game play is great. It's not perfect, it has bugs, but they aren't game breaking. The game is intensive on your system, and the story is interesting. You can make the game as fast as you want or slow, you can play PvP or PvE, total conversion mods or no mods. You make the game how you want. The maps are huge and anyone who says otherwise is playing on a flyer, and possibly with higher speed (mods). Ragnarok, Crystal Isles and Valguero especially are huge. They're all free maps too. I prefer the Island, it's very full, and every environment feels unique. While not the biggest, it doesn't feel as empty as Ragnarok or Crystal Isles does. I would go into this game with a mindset that it's not going to be flawless, but you can lose hours and days here. Maybe even weeks. If you're looking for something to do for days on end, this game is a great way to spend it. It's hard for me to get back into it, but I do play it every now and then and love it all the same. I know so much that I can accelerate my play speed ten fold than what I did when I was new. The learning curve is large, but I always followed a philosophy. Don't take what you can't afford to lose out of your base. Items, Dinos, etc. Enjoy, this game is a great one. Not a master piece, but there are far worse survival games.